Research technician: research or not?

[JAK2-STAT3]

Hello SDN! I graduated from college in 2018 am planning on applying to med school in 2021. I currently work as a technician in a research lab in a subject I enjoy at an academic hospital.

I have seen people make side comments here to the effect of "don't be a technician because you're just following orders and it doesn't count as research." But I have also seen people advised to spend gap years working in research labs. At my current position, I work with postdocs on 3 different RO1s that my PI came up with/got funded. Does this count as research even though I didn't go out and get my own fellowship and come up with my own projects? If I get any publications from my time in this lab, does that make it research? I did do more independent research in undergrad.

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[Means]

As long as you are doing stuff such as analyzing results and helping with the creation and direction of the project, and not just mindlessly doing assays without any further input, then it should count as research. A publication would count as research.

 

[Catalystik]

I currently work as a technician in a research lab in a subject I enjoy at an academic hospital.

I have seen people make side comments here to the effect of "don't be a technician because you're just following orders and it doesn't count as research." But I have also seen people advised to spend gap years working in research labs. At my current position, I work with postdocs on 3 different RO1s that my PI came up with/got funded. Does this count as research even though I didn't go out and get my own fellowship and come up with my own projects? If I get any publications from my time in this lab, does that make it research? I did do more independent research in undergrad.

What is your role for these projects?
Have you read the grant proposals? Do you know the hypothesis and proposed methods to test them?

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

I find that titles mean different things at different institutions, and they can even vary lab to lab and person to person.

E.g. in one lab I was in, “research tech” often meant lab monkey, cleaning glassware and doing grunt work. In another lab across the country, that role is generally held by people with more experience, and I saw a number of career techs in that institution. Their work was nothing to scoff at.

Even when i worked in the former institution as a tech, I worked directly with the PI and even had my own project (I asked for it once i had more experience).

The key is that it depends a lot. What you have sounds very promising, especially since you sound engaged and you seem like you like it. Don’t give that up because of what people think about the words “lab tech.”

Instead, ask yourself:

Do you have room to grow?

Is there mentorship?

Could you get more responsibility as time goes on, and even get your own project?

In two years, when someone asks you what you did, do you think your response will be “i helped do cell culture” or “I helped design study x”?

If this is the type of lab that’s good for you, you should even be able to discuss this explicitly with your PI.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

What is your role for these projects?
Have you read the grant proposals? Do you know the hypothesis and proposed methods to test them?

Thank you for the response.

My roles are to keep track of 1000+ mice, genotype, assist post docs with immunohistochemistry, ELISAs, injections, takedowns, etc., be a part of troubleshooting discussions, mentor a high school intern, write manuscripts, and basically be the lab manager. My PI has so far been unsuccessful at finding a postdoc for one of the RO1s, so until further notice I will "lead" that project.

I have not read each RO1 word for word (I will get on this), though I know our hypotheses, how we plan to test them, and the previous results that lead to our current hypotheses. However, I had no part in designing the current grants. Neither did our current postdocs.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

Do you have room to grow?

Is there mentorship?

Could you get more responsibility as time goes on, and even get your own project?

In two years, when someone asks you what you did, do you think your response will be “i helped do cell culture” or “I helped design study x”?

Thank you for this response. I am aware that I am a technician and not a grad student, so technically nobody is getting paid to mentor me. That said, I work with a wonderful, supportive group of people whom I would consider my mentors. I also take the philosophy that people can serve as my mentors without knowing it.

I do not currently have my own project that I came up with, but I am taking the lead on one of our grants as my PI hasn't been able to get a postdoc for it. I believe my PI would be supportive if I suggested my own project that was a side spinoff to a grant.

In undergrad I designed/helped to design a couple of research projects (around 600-700ish hours total), had two posters at a few different conferences, and even got a first author publication (albeit in an undergrad journal). My undergrad institution emphasized teaching/mentorship over research, so the research I did was with professors and other undergrads, not with technicians and postdocs. It seems counterintuitive that those experiences as an undergrad are more "researchy" in the eyes of Adcoms than my current position of spending 40 hours a week in a lab doing all sorts of procedures with people who have devoted their lives to research. I mean that to sound curious, not defensive. Perhaps my subconscious definition of "research" was too generous.

Anyways, even if my current position is less "research," I consider myself lucky to work with nice people in a hospital where getting shadowing/volunteering outside of work is convenient. Thanks again everyone for the responses!

 

[Catalystik]

My roles are to keep track of 1000+ mice, genotype, assist post docs with immunohistochemistry, ELISAs, injections, takedowns, etc., be a part of troubleshooting discussions, mentor a high school intern, write manuscripts, and basically be the lab manager. My PI has so far been unsuccessful at finding a postdoc for one of the RO1s, so until further notice I will "lead" that project.

I have not read each RO1 word for word (I will get on this), though I know our hypotheses, how we plan to test them, and the previous results that lead to our current hypotheses. However, I had no part in designing the current grants. Neither did our current postdocs.

The point of "research" for a pre-med is to gain an understanding of the scientific method. Reading the grant proposals (and maybe some of the background papers) is a giant leap toward gaining a global understanding of the projects you're helping with, so that you could potentially discuss them in a knowledgable way with interviewers. You don't need your own project, though that is a plus. You don't need to write for grants, though that is a plus. You don't need to author a paper, but that is a plus, too. Aside from some of your mouse-wrangling duties, I'd call this a research experience. The more you provide creative input and troubleshoot, and the more you gain in responsibility, the better.

 

[aldol16]

Don't get caught up in the title. And don't let the title box you in.

Most likely, you were hired as a research assistant to help out the members of the lab. This is research, even if you didn't ideate the idea yourself. However, don't feel like you're constrained to that role. Once you have mastered the role and become efficient at lab procedures, you can start to think of your own projects. You can also talk to the PI about taking on independent projects. Obviously, you still have to do the job you're being paid for, but everyone likes someone to show initiative in taking on their own projects.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

The point of "research" for a pre-med is to gain an understanding of the scientific method. Reading the grant proposals (and maybe some of the background papers) is a giant leap toward gaining a global understanding of the projects you're helping with, so that you could potentially discuss them in a knowledgable way with interviewers. You don't need your own project, though that is a plus. You don't need to write for grants, though that is a plus. You don't need to author a paper, but that is a plus, too. Aside from some of your mouse-wrangling duties, I'd call this a research experience. The more you provide creative input and troubleshoot, and the more you gain in responsibility, the better.

Thank you for this. I understand why ear tagging mice is not research. It is helpful to hear that being able to understand and intelligently articulate the ins and outs of the research I participate in can kind of compensate or not getting myself a competitive fellowship. I actually appreciate having a normal job that pays the rent and teaches me about adulting for a couple years while I do a DIY postbac and study for the MCAT.

Don't get caught up in the title. And don't let the title box you in.

This is good wisdom--thank you!

 

[Jedi_Knight]

Hello SDN! I graduated from college in 2018 am planning on applying to med school in 2021. I currently work as a technician in a research lab in a subject I enjoy at an academic hospital.

I have seen people make side comments here to the effect of "don't be a technician because you're just following orders and it doesn't count as research." But I have also seen people advised to spend gap years working in research labs. At my current position, I work with postdocs on 3 different RO1s that my PI came up with/got funded. Does this count as research even though I didn't go out and get my own fellowship and come up with my own projects? If I get any publications from my time in this lab, does that make it research? I did do more independent research in undergrad.

I just started a psychology (Lifespan) class, and the Professor said she is doing two research projects, one on autism relationship to early development and the second on diet of pigs and their autism rates. She said she needs "data extrapolation" help and asked if any students were interested.
Would this be beneficial to me or a waste of time?

 

[deleted927529]

The title doesn't mean anything. I'm a technician doing independent work. The research assistants across the hall do mind-numbing mouse work on a strict schedule. Title just has to do with pay grade.